Shahid Afridi slaps a fan

Karachi, Jan 9 (IANS) Pakistan’s senior all-rounder Shahid Afridi has landed himself in trouble after slapping a fan following a match of the country’s premier domestic cricket tournament here Friday.According to eyewitnesses, Afridi slapped a fan, who was insisting upon a photograph with the cricketer after a match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy here at the UBL Stadium.

Eyewitnesses told IANS that Afridi was irritated by the young fan’s repeated demands to have himself photographed with the player and decided to vent out his anger by slapping him repeatedly.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has a strict code of conduct for its players and it is expected that the Board will take notice of the incident.

Afridi, 28, is one of the senior-most players in the Pakistan team. A veteran of 268 One-day Internationals and 26 Tests, the Karachi-based Afridi was also recently offered an A-category central contract by the PCB.

The incident ruined an otherwise good day for Afridi, who took three wickets for his team - Habib Bank - in an important match of the Quaid-a-Azam Trophy against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) - a team led by Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik.

Afridi is one of the most popular Pakistani cricketers and has a bigger fan following in the country than most of his teammates. He was a contender for Pakistan captaincy especially for one-dayers, but the PCB recently decided to carry on with Shoaib Malik.